Chapter 57

Every office worker carries a resignation letter close to their heart, whether physically or mentally.

Usually, though, they keep it hidden...

'You're telling a new recruit?'

My immediate superior, no less.

“I've almost saved up enough points. Don't spread it around.”

“...”

Given Deputy Eun Haje's personality, I had expected her to work without the slightest change in expression until the day she quit, then tell us that very day.

“Are you sure it's all right to tell me?”

“Well, it's not bad news, is it? Plenty of people here go around blabbing about how many points they've saved anyway...”

The deputy gave my shoulder a firm pat.

“I wanted to at least give the people on my team some advance notice.”

“Sniff. Even just listening to this is moving, ma'am!”

“Knock it off.”

I hummed thoughtfully as I watched Supervisor Park Minseong, who had come over and was making a huge fuss.

Apparently, he had known beforehand.

'Is it because of the nature of this company?'

After all, this was an insane job where you played Russian roulette with a gun to your temple as part of your duties, all to somehow fulfill a desperate wish that reality could never grant.

Since everyone was assumed to want out anyway, I could understand why there was no need to hide it desperately.

It was a shame to lose an immediate superior who went to such lengths to accommodate me... But it was good news for her, so congratulations were in order.

There was just one thing I wondered about.

“Deputy?”

“Yeah?”

“Does that mean you've saved up all five hundred thousand points?”

“What?! Five hundred thousand? No way...”

After that startled reaction, Deputy Eun Haje gave a little chuckle, as though something had dawned on her.

“Oh, did you think I was buying a Wish Coupon?”

“...?”

Well, naturally?

Wouldn't it be harder to find someone here who wasn't?

“Ah. That was my goal when I first joined, too. But after working things out a bit, I realized something else would do.”

“...!”

Ah.

'I see.'

Come to think of it, there were cases where you wouldn't necessarily need a Wish Coupon.

'If something from the Employee Points Mall can fulfill your wish, that's enough.'

“One of this company's high-grade magic potions is all I need.”

As expected.

“... May I ask how many points it costs?”

“A hundred and seventy thousand. I'm less than five thousand short now. Well... the points windfall I've been getting thanks to you will be ending, so I'll still have to work a few more months.”

The deputy gave an uncharacteristic wink.

“Let's talk to the team leader and see if we can keep you here until the next regular personnel reassignment.”

She meant that if I could hold on until then, I would naturally be able to stay in Team D afterward.

Her departure would bring us down to the right number.

'That's remarkably thoughtful.'

Especially since she sounded so confident that I would want to stay on this team.

“Before you leave, we really have to have a proper team dinner, ma'am... And let's keep in touch afterward, too. We could go watch baseball or something...!”

“Of course. Hey, you only have to hang in there a few more years yourself.”

“Me? Sigh, no such luck. I've got no choice but to save up all five hundred thousand.”

Despite scratching his head, the supervisor brightened.

“Anyway... then Roe Deer will be able to stay on our team!”

“If the team leader can pull it off.”

And when that very team leader returned from the section chiefs' meeting, he calmly confirmed it.

“Yes. The odds are in favor of it.”

“Ooooh!”

“It is a matter of probability. Do not plan your work on the assumption that you will remain.”

“... You heard him, Roe Deer...”

“Yes...”

Typical Lizard.

“In any case, congratulations, Deputy.”

“Thanks.”

Deputy Eun Haje smiled and went out for a smoke.

Even from behind, she already looked considerably freer.

'... What happened to employees after they quit again?'

There had been no particular mention of stripping them of their human rights and locking them in a lab, or quietly disposing of them to keep company secrets.

'There were a few cases of fairly happy retirements, too.'

You know the sort. The employee everyone likes.

Those supporting-character employees whom everyone reading the wiki grew attached to, and whose stories were somehow given a happy ending all the way through retirement.

'... I hope that's how it goes for her, too.'

After that brief wish, I returned to work.

Meaning, the team leader assigned us a task after his meeting.

“The Darkness we will explore this time is a C-grade Spider, a harvesting site with a complete manual.”

“Oh... Then we'll each get about six or seven hundred points, right?”

“Yes.”

“Roe Deer, good thing we racked up points while the work was coming in.”

The flood of assignments to explore new Darkness and complete their manuals, which had been directed almost exclusively to Team D, was finally dwindling.

“New Darkness tends to come in waves. The research team registers a whole bunch right before the registration deadline.”

“Ah.”

That was so... corporate.

Of course, pointing that out wouldn't do a new recruit any good.

I smiled and said,

“Then we can all work as safely as possible for a while.”

“Exactly! I love how you're always so positive, Roe Deer!”

The supervisor laughed and handed me a tablet displaying the manual PDF.

“Even with a manual, it's C-grade, so letting your guard down could land you in serious trouble. Let me know when you've learned it inside out.”

“Yes.”

“From the looks of it, you just have to last a day in a certain place.”

Hmm.

I took the tablet and began reading.

The matter-of-fact official manual followed the same format as before.

In other words, much like the <Records of Dark Exploration> wiki, it provided information rendered in precise figures, based on the records obtained from us.

'Let's see.'

A ghost story about a space you could stumble into by taking a wrong turn in a commercial building full of vacancies. The type known online as the Backrooms...

“...”

As I read the next paragraph, a powerful hunch struck me.

'This is...'

I had already spent months using my knowledge of <Records of Dark Exploration> to deduce the identities of ghost stories from their manuals.

Meaning, recognizing one no longer surprised me.

So what could still surprise me?

Normally, it would be some insane mass slaughter like <The Tuesday Quiz Show>, or a situation where my death was guaranteed.

But this time, it meant something a little different.

'This... this is a good one!'

My God, a heartwarming ghost story!

On a fear scale, it would probably score a zero. The sort of supernatural phenomenon even a coward could get through with composure, provided they knew all the spoilers!

Then why was it C-grade?

'Because Daydream Inc. misunderstood and classified it wrong!'

That was where the fun of this story came from.

A so-called misunderstanding-based ghost story!

A supernatural phenomenon that looked dangerous but was actually very mild and gentle. It was simply a safe, friendly ghost story, and the humor came from people misunderstanding it because of their preconceptions.

'You could call it a magical experience rather than a ghost story...'

Naturally, there weren't many examples like this in <Records of Dark Exploration>.

My heart fluttered a little.

I was going in here?

'Wait a minute.'

If I played this right...

'This might not just warm my heart. It could make my life a whole lot warmer from now on.'

My mind raced.

There was definitely one thing I would need to make that happen.

And that was...

“We're going in tomorrow afternoon, so you've got plenty of time. Take your time reading. Well... you're the last person who needs that reminder, Roe Deer!”

“In that case... would it be all right if I stepped out briefly during lunch tomorrow, before we go?”

“Huh? Well, neither the team leader nor the deputy would mind that sort of thing... Why? If you're going to the hospital, I'll ask them to give you plenty of time.”

“Oh, it's nothing like that. It's just...”

Thinking of my bank balance, I did the math.

“There's something I need to buy.”

“...?”

To profit from this heartwarming ghost story, I needed to bring something along.

Something very expensive!

* * *

And so, after lunch the following day, we headed out in the deputy's car.

Our destination was the site where the Darkness we were entering had been isolated.

“You've brought everything you wanted to bring, right?”

“Yes.”

The “expensive thing” I had bought during lunch was safely tucked inside my briefcase, too.

From the driver's seat, the deputy checked with me.

“Roe Deer, is this your first time entering an Urban Legend that takes place in a real location, rather than being abducted after touching some object?”

No. Actually, just recently I went into some lodge and pretended to be a serial killer while carrying pieces of corpses around. I thought I was going to throw up.

... Let's not bother mentioning that.

“Yes. It feels like my first business trip.”

“Haha. You're still in your twenties, right, Roe Deer? This must be your first job.”

The atmosphere was quite warm, and our journey proceeded without incident.

We chatted about this and that along the way.

“Did you know? Our team leader has accidentally broken three steering wheels on the job. So rumor has it he probably won't sit in the driver's seat again unless there's a zombie outbreak...”

“...”

Hmm. Let's not ask him about that directly.

Anyway, after about forty minutes on the road, we arrived at our destination without a hitch.

“Here we are.”

It was an alley lined with commercial buildings in a commuter town on the outskirts of Seoul.

But the property boom had passed long ago, and new urban developments had drawn many residents away, leaving this somewhat quiet, empty place an “old” new town.

The windows of countless vacant units bore For Sale notices with real estate agents' contact information.

“Apparently, one of these buildings is an Urban Legend. Strange things happen if you enter at sunset on a clear day.”

“Yes.”

With my superiors kindly briefing me on what I had read in the manual, I approached the specified commercial building.

“It looks like they're using some kind of... Security equipment to keep civilians out. It recognizes our masks and lets us in.”

Hmm.

“Be careful once we're inside.”

The supervisor lowered his voice to a grave whisper.

“There are quite a few horrific records, so let's watch our step.”

“...”

Do you mean... something like this?

Exploration Record #12

One of the deployed employees (Employee Jeong Sejong) discovered a shop open for business in Unit 404, beside the fourth-floor emergency exit. The sign read ■■■ Café.

However, as the employee approached the location, strange noises not normally heard in a café began to sound.

Dozens of overlapping barks, shouts, and animal howls grew steadily louder, then abruptly closed in as though lunging at the employee the moment he stopped outside the door.

The panicked employee successfully fled into the emergency stairwell just before the door opened, but contact was lost following a loud crash.

Later found unconscious near the commercial building.

Removed from duty due to open fractures in both legs and severe back injuries. Subsequently reported persistent PTSD.

At first glance, that might seem eerie and horrifying.

But did you happen to catch on?

'That's just... a dog-friendly café.'

The employee had been frightened by barking dogs, fled, and tumbled down the stairs, sustaining multiple injuries. The ghost story had kindly sent him outside...

The strangest thing about this Darkness was simply that the shops that used to be here were operating normally.

It was the sort of story that made you laugh in disbelief as the explorers scared themselves, interpreted everything in the worst possible light, and made a fuss until they ruined things for themselves.

And right beside me, those very people were earnestly offering advice...

“Let's be careful. There are quite a few records of this space harming people who enter it.”

No, there aren't.

“Above all, don't lose consciousness. That ends in serious injury.”

It just sends you outside when the time comes, even if you've been badly injured and lost consciousness...

This is literally a commercial building. It politely shows you out when business hours are over.

But I kept that to myself, worried that saying so would make them go, “Aha! This ghost story causes mental contamination, too!” and spawn another comedy of wild assumptions and misunderstandings...

Instead, I readily nodded along with the plan to distribute communication devices and split up for a more efficient exploration.

“Will you be all right, Roe Deer?”

“Yes.”

Normally, I would have stuck to them by any means necessary, practically ready to cling to their trouser legs, but today was a coward's day to shine!

“Contact us immediately if anything goes wrong.”

“Understood.”

Making sure to carry the radio we had received from Security—which oddly reminded me of the toy radio sold in the Alien Shop—I set off at once.

-Hmm, is there a shop you would like to visit? Several appear to be open.

You know what?

Exactly right.

'Though getting there takes a somewhat unusual approach...'

The warped space here made a mess of floors and directions, but occasionally, you could glimpse a system and rules of its own.

And one of them was this:

When boarding the elevator on the seventh floor, a button leading to the basement will sometimes appear.

After several attempts, I finally found a button marked “B1” inside the elevator.

-Ah, a hidden location? It reminds me of that refined exhibition.

Do we really have to bring that up?

I still had nightmares about being trapped in the exhibition's basement, going around in circles unable to find the exit, then encountering a spider machine and having my organs harvested...!

'Th-this is a friendly place... A friendly place...'

Struggling to shake off those nightmares, I pressed the button.

DING.

Then the doors opened, revealing an underground parking garage.

'I think someone fainted here when a car horn went off, too.'

That wasn't important.

I diligently followed the directions I remembered.

'Three left turns.'

Circling around the underground parking garage would reveal a new parking section number that hadn't been visible before.

'A19.'

That meant I was practically there.

My heart full of anticipation, I hurried along.

Beside this parking section, too, was a door leading into the commercial building. If you opened it and went inside, then looked to the side instead of heading for the elevator, there was a small shop.

And there it was.

Moonlight Tattoo Shop

A place of magic.